DES MOINES, Iowa - Bo Diddley is in intensive care after suffering a stroke in western Iowa, a publicist said Wednesday. The 78-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was listed in guarded condition at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., said Susan Clary, a publicist for the musician's management team. Diddley, who has a history of hypertension and diabetes, was hospitalized Sunday following a concert in Council Bluffs in which he acted disoriented, she said. Tests indicated that the stroke affected the left side of his brain, impairing his speech and speech recognition, Clary said. Clary said she has no other details on Diddley's condition or how long he would be in intensive care. Diddley, with his black glasses and low-slung guitar, has been an icon in the music industry since he topped the R&B charts with "Bo Diddley" in 1955. His other hits include "Who Do You Love," "Before You Accuse Me," "Mona" and "I'm a Man." Diddley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and was given a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1998.
I got to see him perform live about 25 years ago. Put on a great show,always wanted to see him play again.
This is amazing - some guys I used to play music with, work there at Creighton Hospital! He's in good hands, plus he has fans on the staff! He's played our little town twice in the last 3 years (one show was his birthday party), but unfortunately, I missed both shows...Bo Diddly is a true icon, for sure.....
When guys like Bo, Chuck, Fats and Little Richard fade away, there will be no replacing them. Favorite Bo Diddley lyric: "Tombstone hand and a graveyard mind, I'm just 22 and I don't mind dyin'" That's a cool way of saying "Don't fuck with me..." I hope he pulls through. jp
Shook his hand from the front row at a concert in the UK many years ago, remember wondering how did he play geetar with such big paws! Hope he gets well, I believe he was due to come back over here this summer. L.P.
I remember seeing his show at the now closed Valley Forge Music Fair, just outside Philadelphia,Pa. It was 30 years ago,and he put on a hell of a performance. What made it unique was it was a small venue and the stage rotated. It was lik him playing in your living room. ...my heart go's out to Bo and his family
guys, Bo lives just down the road from me,hes a car guy,has a yard full of cars. i see him at the bank,at the napa store,at walmart. hes a cool dude,always glad to talk to you,never too busy to stop to talk. many years ago when he was doing the Nike shoes commercials he took a bunch of nikes to the local schools and gave them away,hundreds of pairs of shoes to anybody that needed them. i saw him in walmart one xmas,he had carts full of toys,he was buying them and giving them away to all the needie kids. he will give you anything you ask for. get well soon Bo!
He lives in Ocala, Florida. I hope he pulls through. His brand of violent rock and rock was his alone, nobody can come close.
Update Four days after suffering a stroke, Bo Diddley walked around the intensive-care unit at Creighton University Medical Center, and doctors were encouraged that the singer-songwriter-guitarist would be able to perform again, his manager said. <script language="javascript">if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['wxwIRdGDJG0-']='&U=13bk6dtmt%2fN%3dwxwIRdGDJG0-%2fC%3d571699.10743332.11345890.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4429547'; </script><noscript></noscript> The 78-year-old Diddley told his audience that he wasn't feeling well during a show in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Saturday night. Diddley's manager, Margo Lewis, said she had the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer taken to the hospital by ambulance when he appeared disoriented at the Omaha airport on Sunday. Though Diddley's speech is impaired, he's made significant progress. "We're going to get a guitar for him and put it in his lap and let him entertain people here," Lewis said from the hospital. "People think that would be good therapy for him."
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